Ian Ralby

At least 200 merchant ships around the world have suffered serious, sometimes complete engine failure in recent months. Some of these vessels have been left helplessly adrift in the open sea. Others have run aground. Many have been carrying cargoes—crude oil, fuel, chemicals, containers—that could cause human or environmental catastrophes if the vulnerable ships were damaged in a storm, on a reef, or even in an attack. The cause of these engine failures is not shoddy maintenance or poorly manufactured parts—it is bad fuel. And the bad fuel is not coming from some scarcely regulated port, but from major hubs: Houston, Panama, and Singapore.
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Oil and fuel theft is a significant global phenomenon, accounting for tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars annually. It typically takes place in the maritime domain, as oil tankers account for a fourth of global trade and law enforcement control over maritime spaces is often lacking. In their report, Oil on the Water: Illicit Hydrocarbons Activity in the Maritime Domain, GEC Senior Fellow Dr. Ian Ralby and I.R. Consilium Head of Research and Analysis Dr. David Soud examine the modalities of maritime hydrocarbons crime around the world.